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Macron Backs Zelensky’s Reform Drive as Ukraine’s ‘Midas’ Corruption Probe Deepens

France signals confidence as Kyiv confronts a sprawling energy‑sector graft case.

Overview

  • Emmanuel Macron said he trusts Volodymyr Zelensky to deliver EU‑required reforms, including anti‑corruption measures, during a Paris press conference after signing a defense assistance agreement.
  • Ukraine’s National Anti‑Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor have charged seven suspects, searched Energoatom, and released cash photos and audio recordings linked to the alleged scheme.
  • Lawmakers and prosecutors have linked businessman Timur Mindich to the case, with reports that he left Ukraine before searches as Zelensky later imposed sanctions on him and financier Alexander Zuckerman.
  • SNBO secretary and former defense minister Rustem Umerov extended his foreign trip to November 19, according to MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, following prosecutors’ statements about Mindich’s influence on senior officials.
  • Zelensky said the France deal permits Ukraine to acquire up to 100 Rafale jets by 2035, while a Russian analyst argued such deliveries are unlikely.